Equipment for a Grab 'N Go Disaster Relief Trailer?

[Saw_Squatch]

So this is kind of an unorthodox place to be asking this question but I'm curious what all of you have to think about this. The other day the superintendent of my church conference asked me about my ideas on putting together a grab 'n go trailer full of equipment that missions groups can take at the drop of a hat to do disaster relief as things come up. Now as background I'm a chainsaw guy first and foremost, I use and fix a lot of different pieces of small two-stroke and four-stroke equipment as a backcountry trail maintenance worker and wildland firefighter but the kind of things I'm thinking might be useful might be totally useless to a bunch of untrained weekend warriors and be totally dependent on the disaster being responded to, which will probably be tornados and floods. I was thinking a minimum of 2 echo 590's with 20" bars (maybe even stihl bars and chains with an adapter for easier availability?) I want 2 saws so there's always a backup incase one goes down and 20" bars are about as long as any of these people really need and makes finding loops of chain easier as necessary. Next I was thinking that a blower, probably keeping with echo for bulk purchase discounts from a local dealer, minimum of a small handheld but I'd like a handheld and a backpack blower if I could get one. The last thing I think I would want for sure is a generator for odds and ends if the power is out, probably just a 2000 watt harbor freight generator or something. Past that I don't know what would actually be useful or necessary for this kind of stuff, like I can think of plenty of uses for water pumps and utility fans personally but are they really worth getting right off the bat or even at all? I figured simple hand tools like rakes and shovels tend to keep less experienced hands full and good trash cans are always a good thing to have around but that's as far as I got for hand tools. Any ideas or pearls of wisdom from people would be greatly appreciated, things are very much still in the hypothetical stage, I just like hearing different takes and new ideas from people that I haven't thought of.

 

[Matt Ellerbee]

Canned fuel. Mix and straight.

 

[jacob j.]

Think about gear for moving and handling loads, such as chokers, straps, come-alongs, some decent Bull rope, webbing, carabiners/d-snaps, tarps, and even a couple "soft" buckets in addition to your hand tools.

I would also think about a simple tool box set-up for maintaining equipment and common spares for whatever equipment you plan on stocking the trailer with. You can go to local pawn shops
and pick up used sockets/socket sets, ratchets, screwdrivers, bits, and nutdrivers on the cheap.

 

[Woodpecker]

You may want to consider everything but the chainsaws being a 4-mix engine. Might increase their lifespan being used by inexperienced users.

 

[Dub11]

I think @Philbert has some experience in this area.

 

[Kiwioilboiler]

If there's saws you probably want to consider PPE as a stock item if all and sundry might be using them. Important not to add to the emergency.

 

[jacob j.]

If there's saws you probably want to consider PPE as a stock item if all and sundry might be using them. Important not to add to the emergency.

In addition to PPE, First Aid gear would also be a must. There's gonna be owies with people cutting/cleaning up weather damage that don't normally do that kind of work.

 

[Philbert]

This is a topic that could fill books. A few things to consider are:
- what are you expecting to do (scoping your limits, along with stuff you will not do)?
- what are the skill levels of your volunteers (anyone who claims to know what they are doing, or selection, training, etc.)?
- will volunteers bring their own stuff, or only use the provided stuff?

As far as tree work, a key thing is to assume that all the hardware store and saw shop shelves will be picked clean. A simple repair part (rim sprocket, spark plug, starter rope, bar nut, etc.) can take a saw (and a team) out of commission. So we learned to travel with a supply of common repair/wear parts, especially, extra chains and bars. What types of repair / maintenance are members of your group comfortable doing in the field? One batch of bad fuel can kill a whole trailer of OPE (fuel filters, air filters, premix, . . . ). Having identical saws helps with the repair parts cache, as well as training new volunteers.

Disasters are highly variable, so the stuff you bring has to be flexible for a lot of different uses. Too much stuff makes you slow and clumsy. Theft in disaster areas is also a real issue, so be careful who you hand tools out to, along with your expectations of use. Lots of 'staring at the ground' and mumbling when saws come back straight gassed, broken, with stripped caps/nuts/etc., bent bars, etc. Starting with a basic 'kit', and building out as you gain experience, and develop procedures, is suggested.

There are a large number of volunteer groups who do this, and a number of them are faith-based. So learning from others' experiences could be a good boost. Start by asking if there are any other groups in your church conference, and look for other denominations who are based locally. You can also reach out to your county Emergency Manager for some local contacts to talk to / benchmark, or look through the 'organization of volunteer disaster response organizations' (NVOAD - National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster) for contacts. These folks can share their experiences, which could save you a lot of time and headaches, as well as offer good ideas.

https://www.nvoad.org/

I have worked with a number of these groups over the years, and can probably hook you up with a local contact in your area, if you want to reach out via PM. Maybe set something up to check out their response trailers, etc.

Philbert

 

[Maintenance Chief]

Ive worked hurricane, fire,flood,and tornadoes. One common theme is person's ability to work for the first time in months. We all get gun hoe! Then people start falling out ! I commonly carry adult pedialyte with me now along with allergy medications ( oh whats this vine I've been chopping on?). The pedialyte has saved my butt and others in hot muggy weather feeding chippers for 10hr clips.
Just my two cents.